Return of the Runebound Professor characters

Also known as Vermil, Magus Vermil

Appears from the start

An Earth teacher whose memories survive a disrupted reincarnation. He awakens in the recently dead body of Magus Vermil with fragments of its former owner's knowledge, a book of runes, and a dangerous need to understand his new magic.

Appears from the start

The deity who selects Noah for reincarnation after his death. Her attempt to send him into a new life is disrupted when a many-voiced black entity attacks the place where souls await renewal.

First appears in chapter 6

A rank-one student assigned to Vermil's neglected class. He arrives late because the professor normally does not teach and is startled to find a real lesson beginning.

First appears in chapter 6

A blue-haired rank-one student in Vermil's class. Like Todd, she expects an absent and unhelpful professor, so Vermil's sudden insistence on teaching immediately puts her on guard.

First appears in chapter 8

An Arbitage magus who encounters Vermil while he searches the library for rune-combination material. She knows his prior reputation and openly regards him as a disgrace to the Linwick family.

First appears in chapter 10

The operator of Arbitage's transport cannon. He manages fixed-duration journeys to places such as the Scorched Acres and is responsible for retrieving travelers when their allotted window ends.

First appears in chapter 10

A monster found near Arbitage whose master rune has pushed it close to the third rank. Moxie tells Noah that the rank-two creature is far beyond his ability to fight.

Also known as Silvertide

First appears in chapter 22

A senior magus with a runework silver right leg and responsibility for Tyler's instruction. He interrupts Noah's reflexive attack on his apprentice and interprets it as the reaction of someone conditioned by combat.

First appears in chapter 26

Moxie's noble student, equipped with family-provided runes and an education that extends beyond combat. Moxie initially allows Noah to observe her lessons only on the condition that he not interact with Emily.

First appears in chapter 31

A member of the Linwick family who threatens Isabel in the Arbitage library. He relies on runed clothing and a shield for protection, but Noah bypasses those defenses with a physical feint and breaks his nose.

First appears in chapter 34

A second man with Vermil's exact appearance, discovered standing beside Todd after mutilated monsters are found in the Scorched Acres. His identity and purpose are not yet known.

First appears in chapter 36

Edward's rank-four professor and mentor. He waits at Arbitage with Edward after Noah's confrontation with the younger Linwick, prepared to pursue his student's grievance.

First appears in chapter 38

The apparent skinwalker who took the body Noah lost in the Scorched Acres and appeared as a duplicate Vermil. After explaining that the body was consumed and memorized, the creature asks Noah for a name and chooses Lee from his suggestion.

First appears in chapter 59

An Arbitage enforcer investigating the Hellreaver's death and the disappearance of its master rune. Neir questions Noah at the transport cannon but accepts Tim's assessment that a rank-one professor could not have killed the monster alone.

First appears in chapter 60

Vermil's elder brother and a Linwick investigator. He arrives on official family business, blocks outside listening, and demands to know why Vermil survived a task that was expected to end with his apparent death.

Also known as Evergreen

First appears in chapter 76

A senior authority in Moxie's noble house who manifests through plant magic to receive a secret report. Magus Evergreen orders Moxie to exploit her new Linwick connection while continuing to keep Emily safe.

First appears in chapter 81

An Arbalest Empire soldier encountered during an active root-fiend hunt. He fights in heavily inscribed armor, flies, and channels powerful magic through a hammer while warning the nearby travelers about the monster.

First appears in chapter 82

Gavin's soldier partner and a specialist in rune research and imbuement. She arrives by portal and explains that her work powers Gavin's armor and weapon, with designs that draw much of their energy from the environment.